Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley force welcomes new pay award

The new public sector pay award which includes a 7% pay rise for the police has been welcomed by Matthew Barber, Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley.

The pay ward, announced yesterday, is across all ranks but, according to the Police Federation, still falls short of the real-term pay cut officers have suffered since 2000.

Steve Hartshorn, national chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “The government have announced they have accepted in full the recommendation of the Police Remuneration Review Body, and officers will therefore receive a pay increase of 7 per cent from September 1 this year.”

Commenting on the award, Mr Barber said: “I am pleased that the Home Office have accepted in full the recommendations of the Police Remuneration Review Body which will see officers of all ranks get a pay rise of 7% from September this year.

“We have more officers than ever before in Thames Valley and this pay award is not just vital to ensure continued recruitment and improve retention, but is truly deserved by police officers who put themselves in harm’s way on a daily basis in order to protect the public and tackle crime.

“As important as the increase itself is, the news that this rise will be funded by the Home Office means there will be no impact on the police budget that I agreed with the Chief Constable earlier this year.

"This means that as well as getting a fair deal for officers we are able to continue to invest in neighbourhood policing, and catching criminals.”

A report published earlier this year by the independent think tank, Social Market Foundation, stated that police officers had endured a 17 per cent real term pay cut since 2000, when you take into account inflation.

Mr Hartshorn added: “The government have announced they have accepted in full the recommendation of the Police Remuneration Review Body, and officers will therefore receive a pay increase of 7 per cent from 1 September this year.

That is a step in the right direction, but we must not lose sight of the fact that this uplift still fails to take account of the real term cut of 17 per cent officers have suffered since 2000.

“It is important that government also provides new money for the pay award so that chief officers do not have to cut essential services to the public to fund it.

“Hearing today’s news, I have no doubt that police officers will have mixed feelings – on the one hand, they will be pleased that the pay award was not as bad as some media outlets had speculated, but also disappointed that it doesn’t fully take account of inflation, as they and their families struggle with increased utility, mortgage and food costs."

“We will continue to push for fair pay awards that take full account of inflation and recognise and reward the unique status of police officers; including the introduction of a fair, independent mechanism and negotiation process, so that we can properly sit down with government and employers to negotiate pay settlements that fully consider the risks and restrictions placed on police officers’ private and professional lives.”